White Chocolate

(Resuming Matt POV)

The moon was streaming lazily through the slits between the closed blinds and the window's pane. Only 3 hours had passed since L brought me from the library into this unoccupied hallway where we sat talking in an empty room. I slowly closed the door behind me, thinking about all that L had told me. I breathed in deeply.

"Do you think you can handle all of it, Matt. It is crucial that no one suspects your hand in it."

"Yes, L. I can do this. You can trust me."

I held the package closely to my chest. There were two envelopes: one was for Near, and the other for myself. I wasn't to open mine unless something happened to Mello. N…n..not that anything is ever going to happen to Mello; those were just L's instructions. I stared at the other envelope, the one I needed to deliver to Near immediately.

I really can't believe he asked me to do this. It's absolutely crazy. Done properly, it would take weeks…and I'd have to hide it from Mello!

For L's plan to work, I'd have to first hack into Wammy's security---which he himself had designed, and then…

Don't think about it Matt. Just don't think about it. You can't think about fighting the boss before you've found all the dungeon keys…

L kept a room full of surveillance monitors, watching the main rooms and hallways in Wammy's. One of his cameras had picked up Near to be in the kitchen, though for what reason I have no clue. I didn't take him to be the kind to pull off a midnight kitchen raid.

The door to the kitchen was unlocked, so I invited myself in. Near was sitting at a table, just like L said he would be. He glanced up at me. I noticed the pan on the stove and the steaming bowl of…something perfumy on the table. Oh. My. Mushrooms…Near can cook?

I carefully pulled a chair out from the small table in there, and sat myself across from ghost boy.

"Would Matt care for some guayabate?"

I blinked, "Some what?"

"Guayabate. It's a paste made from caramelized guava fruit."

"Umn…no thank you." I eyed the pink mush in his bowl, "Where did you learn to make that stuff."

"That is not important. But since Matt is here, I assume Mello is not far behind?"

"Actually, I'm alone, Near. I only came to give you this."

I pushed the envelope at him. His eyes widened upon seeing the elegant "N" on the top.

"What prank are Matt and Mello playing now?"

"Near, it's not a prank. And I have no idea what's in the envelope. I'm just the messenger."

He slowly opened the envelope, his bleached skin removing a folded piece of paper. A key fell from the envelope, clattering onto the wooden table. Near's eyes widened dramatically as the seconds ticked by. It was hard to read the reactions in his cold, menacing eyes…Near hides himself better than anyone I've ever met, so I doubt I'll ever truly be able to read him.

Finally, he put the letter down and looked right at me.

"This is from L. We cannot refuse."

"I know that."

"Mello cannot know."

"Yes, I know that too."

He curled a finger around a white lock of hair, "Interesting…Matt should get some sleep. It is already very late."

He stood up, putting his letter in my hand, "Read it, then burn it." He said and walked out of the kitchen.

With the added stresses from the last few hours, my room was the last place I wanted to go to.

............///////////////...........

Slowly I turned the knob, willing it to not break the silence around me. I winced as the door groaned when I slid it open and slipped into my bedroom. It was semi-dark, but the room was ample lit for me to see that my bed wasn't quite as bare as I had left it. In fact, my bedside lamp was lit and the bed was occupied. I inched slowly towards the bed, fear and curiosity rising in my chest. The body was sprawled across the cramped space of my sheets, his hand clinging to a small black rosary. A small, rather worn bible, the golden lining scratched so heavily with nail marks and spine peeling from overuse, was delicately lying on the bed's edge. I looked cautiously at Mello, who was sound asleep, and then picked up the book.

It was strange, seeing Mello on my bed like that. I can't even imagine what would have drawn him to do such a thing when his bed is like…8 feet away and umn…I mean, I'm still not even sure if he hates me at the moment or not. But even weirder was seeing the Bible out and exposed in the open. Mello's Bible doesn't get touched by other human hands. Ever. He keeps that thing under heavier guard than his chocolate. I don't even know where he hides it, but that thing is like his treasure. I remember when Mello first arrived at the Orphanage and Roger tried to throw it out because it was so worn and stuff. Not one of his brightest plans—well now you know how Roger got that scar on his left pinky. Yeah.

Curiosity overcame my fear of Mello waking up and finding me fingering his most prized possession. I placed my fingers on the edge of the cover and slowly turned it open. Out dropped a single sepia-toned photograph. I picked it up, examining the frayed edges. It was a young man and he was dressed ever so strangely. Old fashioned clothes. But the shape of his nose…the sharp upturned features, the soft curves of his lips. It was like looking at an older version of Mello, but with darker hair. I turned it over to find the thinly precise handwriting of a letter. It was too compact to read, and at any rate, I didn't recognize the language.

"It's old Hungarian and an obsolete mix of Czech and Slovak," said the sleepy voice from my side.

Shit. Shit o shit o shit o shit! Oh my fucking chain chomp, I am so busted. I looked across at Mello who was very much awake and staring at me.

"It's a love letter from my grandfather to my grandmother. She had that photo taken before he left to fight in the last great war." He spoke quietly. "Grandfather Emil never returned to her."

I stared at him, trying to read the emotions in those cerulean eyes. There didn't seem to be any anger. He didn't seem even the least bit upset, even though only a few hours ago he'd cursed me out of the room. I was glad that he seemed a bit more peaceful. I, however, was simply bewildered. We'd never talked about our lives before Wammy's.

I said the only thing that came to mind. "Wh-what was her name?"

"Ruti."

"You lived with your grandmother, Mello?"

"For a few months, yes. Grandma didn't last for long after my mother died…" his voice was choked. It wasn't hard to imagine how his night had gone, with the red rings framing his eyes and the pink tinge that dominated his nose. Mello must have cried for a very long time.

"Mello?"

"Matty…" his tone was soft…almost broken. Suddenly he threw his arms around me and buried his head in my stomach. I froze at the outburst and sudden contact.

"I….am so so sorry. I am such a jackass…"

I felt my heart catch in my throat somewhere. Mello was apologizing.

"Please Matt. Please forgive me." Not just apologizing, anymore, he was actually crying into me. "I've been so alone without my family. I know I'm a really fucked up friend to you, but you're the only person I have in this world. Everyone else has left me…"

I think my heart broke right then. My fingers ran along his cheek, brushing off the steady streaks of moisture that ran along the smooth milky skin. And I hugged him back.

"Mells…just forget about yesterday. Let's just forget about everything that happened." I squeezed him a little tighter, for reassurance. We stayed like that for a while.

"Do you ever miss it, Matty? Having a family? Sometimes it feels unbearably lonely without them."

"Naw, Mello. I've got all the family I'm ever going to need right here." I pulled away a little to look at him, to watch comprehension move through his features. And he smiled through those tears. That was better than if he'd actually spoken. I let the Bible fall gently on the bed after replacing the picture of Emil.

Suddenly Mello hugged me tighter and I ended up toppling onto the bed with him. He fell against the pillow, the pressure of his back over my arm, and my body across his chest. It was an awkward position, to be sure, and yet, he held me tighter still. We were simply tangled in each other's arms…clinging the very heartbeats that went between our chests. I nuzzled my head into the crook of his neck and closed my eyes. If anyone walked into the room, they certainly would have gotten the wrong idea from our position, but…Ah…he's stroking my hair. It feels amazing…

When Mello was finally asleep in my arms, he looked like an angel. He is simply the most beautiful creature ever born, and I really mean that. There is something ethereal about how his blond wisps of hair frame the perfect chiseled features of his face. He's so angular and soft all at once. I tried to imitate his steady pace of breathing at he drifted into dream land. We were so close, I could feel his heart nearly meld into mine in a single steady beat. I smiled up at him, and ghosted my lips against his, my heart instantly fluttering.

I will be your new family, Mello, and I will never leave you.

"I love you Mello," I whispered into his chest. "I can't even tell you how much you mean to me…because you're beautiful beyond all words."

I smiled at the regular rhythm of his lungs.

Maybe I'm just a coward for only saying it to him in his sleep…but for now, it's…enough just to know that he needs me just as much as I need him. I snuggled deeper into the warmth of his body heat, following him into dream land.

........./////////////////........

"Matt."

"Mngh."

"Matt!"

"Uh…wazzat Mero?"

"Move. I have to go to the bathroom. And…you're drooling onto my arm."